Call for Papers – Kumoricon Anime and Manga Studies

When, in 2012, I first reached out to the organizers of Anime Expo – then and still the largest anime convention in the U.S. – with a proposal to introduce a track of formal academic lectures, presentations, and panel discussions into the convention’s program, such an idea was not unprecedented, but it was still unusual. San Diego Comic-Con (now known officially as Comic-Con International: San Diego)’s program had already included a Comics Arts Conference panel track, and anime conventions frequently featured talks by academic speakers. And now, six years later, I am excited – and pleased – to see this initiative growing outside AX. And I am happy to share with you a message from this program’s organizer, explaining its goals and plans:

“I’m Trace Cabot, the organizer for Kumoricon Anime and Manga Studies, a new series of lectures and panels that will be held at Kumoricon, Oregon’s largest anime convention. As an academic conference built into the convention, KAMS will bring anime and manga scholars and fans together to share some of the most fascinating insights into Japanese comics and animation from a number of different fields and perspectives.

I’ve had the opportunity to see the enormous energy and enthusiasm this sort of exchange between scholars and the fan community encourages firsthand as a participant in Anime Expo’s Anime and Manga Studies Symposium, and I look forward to bringing this model up to the Pacific Northwest. The opportunity to share research with a receptive and excited crowd is both thrilling and productive, often illuminating new angles and approaches to both established projects and new material. The chance to spread new ideas among an audience united by their common love of the material can truly be inspirational, and I hope we’ll be able to offer new critical perspectives and ways of thinking through anime and manga to the fan community. I look forward to reviewing your submissions and hope to see you in Portland.”

KAMS invites submissions on all topics related to anime and manga, encouraging both submissions pertaining to intertextual and genre elements and general topics related to the mediums and their attending practices. Both panels and individual submissions are welcome. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

Codifications and subversions of genres conventions

The roles of intertextual frames in anime and manga (homage, critique, parody, etc.)

Case studies on the development of manga in relation to films, television, and other forms of popular culture

Intertextual collage as a means of exploring or commenting on controversial topics and concepts (politics, social critique, sexuality, etc.)

The development of a fan language based on the use of allusion and recontextualization

Homage, allusion, and experimentation with genre conventions have been key elements in anime and manga, from the inspirational role of film noir and Akira Kurosawa on the Gekiga movement, to the self-reflexive examination of popular genres and character types in recent anime and manga such as Re:Creators and Space Dandy. Fan practices, such as dōjinshi and cosplay, follow in a similar vein, recontextualizing or reproducing the familiar to both entertain and discover new elements contained within their source material. An understanding of the complexities of intertextual frames and genre deeply contributes to the appreciation of anime and manga as mediums for both scholars and fans, and can both draw on and benefit multiple approaches and methodologies employed in their study, from history to animation theory.

Kumoricon Anime and Manga Studies is a new series of programming featuring academic panels and lectures, hosted at Kumoricon with the goal of bringing together anime and manga scholars and fans and exposing the discipline’s insights to a larger audience of enthusiasts. Kumoricon is Oregon’s largest anime convention, and has been held annually in the Pacific Northwest for 15 years.

KAMS invites submissions on all topics related to anime and manga, encouraging both submissions pertaining to intertextual and genre elements and general topics related to the mediums and their attending practices. Both panels and individual submissions are welcome. Topics may include, but are not limited to, those below.

Codifications and subversions of genres conventions

The roles of intertextual frames in anime and manga (homage, critique, parody, etc.)

Case studies on the development of manga in relation to films, television, and other forms of popular culture

Intertextual collage as a means of exploring or commenting on controversial topics and concepts (politics, social critique, sexuality, etc.)

The development of a fan language based on the use of allusion and recontextualization

Anime and manga’s influence on works in other mediums (film, television, etc.)

All other topics relating to manga and anime

250-400 word proposals should be submitted as a PDF or word document to kams.submissions@gmail.com. Please include your name and the paper or panel title in the attached document. Notifications of acceptance will be sent to the email address used for submission. The inclusion of 3-5 bibliographic entries is preferred, but not required.

Purpose

Anime and manga studies is an emerging field that is of interest to scholars in many different subjects and disciplines around the world.
This site highlights announcements and news relevant to the anime/manga studies community, provides commentary on new trends, new issues, and new publications, and presents resources such as the Annual Bibliography of Anime and Manga Studies